West must expose Qatar and Turkey's campaign of lies

The western media is not as creative when it comes to publishing materials attacking the UAE; the content is shallow and often fabricated. The story in which Abu Dhabi and Dubai are rivals - especially when it comes to the economies of the the two emirates - has been used repeatedly to give a distorted view of the UAE. In the political domain, news and articles would try to demonstrate that the Emirati-Saudi bloc is the repressive and aggressive axis in the Middle East. Western journalists have neither bothered to educate themselves on the UAE nor on the nuances of the region. The demands for changes in structures will not lead to the 'western model' of democracy in this region. In the case of GCC countries, these calls are a sign of lack of respect and a challenge to our nature, narrative, and history.
The western media's narrative is one-sided, it does not take into consideration the voice of the citizens of the Gulf. The media has not bothered to get the views of the people and know if they are content with their leaderships. This has been constantly overlooked by any agenda driven media that often portrays Khaleejis as uneducated Bedouins who are unaware of their interests and silenced by money. It is not true. Aside from their lack of education, many western journalists, channels, international newspapers, and websites are bankrolled by either Qatar - who despite being one from the Gulf has chosen to fly solo - or Turkey, or the ones affiliated with the transnational Muslim Brotherhood.
Obviously, their goal is to dent UAE's reputation internationally, specially because it has provided an alternate vision that is pro-stability and tolerance in this volatile region. Some westerners seem to be mesmerised and deceived by the Qatari-Turkish support for the pro-democracy revolutions in the Arab world. Qatar and Turkey claim that they want a political transformation towards freedom, democratisation, and constitutional change in the Arab world. Needless to say, Qatar is not a democracy, and Turkey's freedoms are questionable. They are the same Islamists who allowed decentralisation of terrorism possible by spreading the ideology that despises inter-religious initiatives.
It echoes the rhetoric voiced by Daesh and other terrorist groups. This ideology is a serious threat to the security of any country, and whoever is aligning with this axis is far away from political correctness. This cluster mounted a systematic string of media campaigns on regional and international outlets to demonise the UAE and its allies. Their aim was to polish their image and promote the 'Turkish model'. Turkey, after failing to promote itself as a European country, has turned ambitiously to the Middle East and is eager to become a regional power with a domestic influence on the Arab countries. The Arab Spring provided Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a chance to advocate democracy, and showcase Turkey as a model for democratic development in the region, mobilising all kinds of efforts to duplicate his party and influence governments.
However, it is a veneer for its expansionist practices, which the UAE has denounced repeatedly. Indeed, the promotion of the Turkish model has augmented soft power for Turkey and made political Islam a potent force specially across north Africa. This promotion would not have been possible without the robust media tools - such as Al Jazeera and wide-ranging network of TRT world and other Turkish media outlets - that acted as cheerleaders for revolutions and the Muslim Brotherhood. These media outlets are often cited and treated as news sources by the West, not to mention the hosting of their commentators. They will not fail to mention any flawed report criticising the UAE from any international organisation even if it lacks context and evidence. But they will definitely ignore any report about their countries. It goes without saying that strong public diplomacy requires strong news management. Lacking an instrument that is equal in size and influence as Al Jazeera, for example, would be costly when it comes to shaping international public opinion. Having this instrument is essential to communicate the Emirati point of view, story, and message.
Fatima Ali is a researcher based in the UAE